ISLAMABAD: Gwadar will be linked via the railways and a Chinese team is arriving next week to discuss the details of the project, Minister of Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday.

“A decision regarding extending the railway to the base of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will be taken by Nov 21,” the minister said, adding that the prime minister will take the final decision.

Talking to the media outside the National Press Club, he criticised the previous government for not linking Gwadar by railway and said this is an essential step for Pakistan and for the overall success of CPEC.

The railways minister said he will be presenting a 100-day performance report of his ministry to the media on Nov 22.

Vows to lay performance report of his ministry before media on Nov 22

“All the resources available to the railways ministry, including human resource, should be utilised to make it a useful entity for the public,” he said, and that it has been decided that a five-year financial report of his ministry will be made public to enhance the transparency in the system.

“We need to plug all the loopholes in the railways and several steps have been taken in this regard with the help of technology,” he added.

The minister said records of all pensioners and of railway land have been digitised and that several thousand cases of ghost pensioners have been found. Biometric machines have been installed in railway workshops. Six new trains have been launched and four more will be launched soon, he said.

“We have not purchased new coaches or equipment and the old passenger coaches have been repaired at railway workshops,” he added.

The six new trains launched include the Mohenjodaro Express, Mianwali Express, Rawalpindi Express, Faisalabad Express, Rohi Express and Dhabeji Express.

The Sindh and Mirpurkhas express will be launched soon while the Rehman Baba Express from Peshawar to Karachi will be delayed as it requires 50 coaches.

The minister said two new freight trains will be launched soon and that the target is to put 15 freight trains on the tracks in one year.

He told the media that a tracking system has been started on a trial basis on eight locomotives and that a tender will soon be floated to install a tracking system on all locomotives so that it can easily be seen if a train is being used. He claimed this will eventually save Rs1 billion or Rs2 billion annually.

He said railways will save Rs1 billion a year by installing electricity meters in all railway colonies and that 25,000 meters will be installed in the first phase.

The contracts of retired employees will not be renewed and fresh appointments will be made. He said 11,000 jobs are being advertised.

The minister said railways will be auctioning all scrap by Dec 31 this year.

Amin Ahmed adds: The South Korean Rail Corporation, Korail, has expressed interest in assisting Pakistan in the future up-grading of mainline Pakistani Railways and is sending a delegation to Islamabad on Dec 3.

South Korean Ambassador, Kwak Sung-Kyu held a meeting with Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on Monday.

Pakistan and South Korea have already signed an MoU for the modernisation of Pakistan Railways in Dec 2012 during a visit by the then president Asif Ali Zardari.

The agreement included high-speed trains, communication systems, signalling systems, rolling stock, modernisation of operation and management, development of logistics and freight terminals.

Pakistan is already in the advanced stage of negotiations with China for the first phase of upgrading the main line and the railways minister was just in Beijing for talks on finalising the deal.

Mainline-1 (ML-1) has become aged and obsolete after being in operation for a long time. It extends from Kiamari- Karachi- to Peshawar and covers about 1,750km. It includes 91km of chord line between Lodhran and Khanewal and a 55km section between Taxila and Havelian.

ML-2, for which a feasibility study has been completed and will run between Kotri in Sindh and Attock city via Dadu, Jacobabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar and Kundian.

ML-3 will start from Rohri to Kohi-Taftan via Quetta and Sibi-Spezadand section with a rail link from Quetta to Kotla Jam.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2018